Jaiku users flee to Twitter as a result of Google’s neglect (updated)

The Jaiku web service is floundering after being acquired by Google. …

When Google acquired Jaiku last year, many of us had high hopes for the microblogging service. At the time, we noted that Google could easily integrate Jaiku support into its existing messaging services in order to provide a more comprehensive communications stack. Google's mail, calendaring, blog hosting, and instant messaging offerings all looked like ideal candidates for microblogging integration.

Unfortunately, Google has allowed Jaiku to languish and is now suffering a backlash from frustrated users who are beginning to mass-migrate to Twitter, a competing microblogging service. Jaiku's external feed servers, which are used by third-party Jaiku client applications, have been down frequently during the past week, often returning 504 gateway errors or nothing at all. During the brief stints when the feed servers are operational, they have been extremely slow and often out of sync with the actual content—typically lagging by between four and 13 hours. These problems have been noted by many users and several third-party Jaiku client application developers who discussed the problem with Ars. Users also complain that Jaiku's IM bots and the third-party Jaiku Facebook interface are exhibiting problems as well.

When Google announced the acquisition, the company promised new features within a few months, but we have seen no evidence of any development at all. Registration is still closed and new users can only join the site by receiving an invitation from Google. The Jaiku developers have been completely and totally silent since the announcement of the takeover, and the official Jaiku blog—which used to have several messages a month—has had no new posts at all. The Jaiku Team feed has also not received any posts from Jaiku developers since the acquisition.

Users have been posting messages to the Jaiku support channel complaining about the problems and asking when Google will address concerns and add new features. Nobody from Google or Jaiku has responded to any of those messages. We also attempted to contact both Google and Jaiku in an effort to get to the bottom of the situation, but have not yet received any response.

In recent years, we have seen a number of instances where Google has failed to follow through with projects or initiatives and allowed valuable services to rot after an acquisition. When we recently wrote about problems with the way that Google is handling support for its Android mobile phone platform, many readers responded by complaining about Google's poor support for other services and products. We also noted a similar situation following Google's acquisition of Urchin. This appears to be a growing trend for the company, which may well be overextended and may lack the resources or manpower to keep up with all of its various activities. There was a time when Google's involvement in almost any endeavor was praised as a sign of good things to come, but the company's image is slowly deflating as the industry begins to think that maybe Google is fallible after all.

As for Jaiku, it appears to have fallen through the cracks at Google and is rapidly sinking as a result of neglect. Unless Google takes some decisive action soon, the service might not retain its existing user base for much longer.

Update:

After several users posted a link to this article in the Jaiku support channel, Jaiku founder Jyri Engestrom responded, acknowledging the 504 error problem assuring users (without providing any specific details) that new development efforts are underway. "First, we know the Jaiku site is currently not as responsive as it should be," wrote Engestrom. "We should have everything sorted out soon; in the meantime, thanks for your patience...[W]e've also been working hard on the next steps for Jaiku, and are already making progress on what I think are some cool new ways to help you stay connected with the people you care about. We can't share any of the specifics right now, but stay tuned."